The present invention relates to the field of printers. More particularly, the present invention relates to a docking station for a printer mechanism of a printer which enables easy removal and replacement of the printer mechanism, and methods for providing a removable ink-free printer mechanism.
The printer mechanism tends to be the least reliable element of a printer. In particular, printer mechanisms of high volume printers, such as label printers, point of sale printers, gaming machine printers, and the like have a higher rate of service calls for printer mechanism repair and replacement.
Further, a printer may be part of a larger system that includes multiple printers, paper holders, a power supply and a large display. The print station's reliability (and thus that of the system) may be impacted by contamination of the print head due to adhesive used on the back of labels, preprinting on the surface of labels, or contamination from the environment (e.g., such as a food preparation environment) when loading labels.
Accordingly, it would be advantageous to provide a printer and a corresponding printer mechanism that is adapted for easy removal and replacement, without the need for tools, printer disassembly, or removal of the entire printer for offsite repair. In particular, it would be advantageous to provide a docking station for a printer that accepts a removable printer mechanism which does not require the use of tools for removal.
The docking station of the present invention advantageously allows for easy, tool-free customer removal and replacement of the printer mechanism without the need to return the printer or the larger system for repair. With the present invention, the print mechanism can also be removed to allow easier customer cleaning of the print head.
The methods and apparatus of the present invention provide the foregoing and other advantages.